Masters of mixology

So, a girl walks into a bar… in this case that girl is me. I am always watching intently and taking mental notes of the finesse and agility of our mixologists, so I can try and replicate the tricks of the trade at home. Yet, I decided I was tired of trying to decode the colorful mixers and bitters that they make themselves, the prep work I do not see before I sit down at the bar. More importantly, the very subtle and quick accents that if you don’t keep the gaze on the cocktail, you miss (like rimming a glass with orange oil). Call me curious, or lazy, but I’m taking the guess work out for both of us and just going directly to my bar‘friend’ers. As you can imagine, I have many, but was fortunate enough to ask a couple of fabulous mixologists to take a bit of a deep dive into their box of tricks. Here you go: some real tricks of the trade.

Nicole Stipp is the co-founder and beverage director for Trouble bar and Sarah Baker is a bartender at Doc Crow’s Bourbon Room, both in Louisville, Kentucky. They dish out some treasures to remember.

Peggy Noe Stevens (PNS): What are the general measures you take to prepare before guests arrive?

We start